Read to Me

My mother read to us a lot when we were kids. She loved to read anyway and having kids to read to was a good excuse to take a break from chores and indulge that love. I grew up in a house full of books and both of my parents always had a book or two tucked in the cushions of their favorite reading chairs.

I started reading long before I can remember. I was a big fan of Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden and the Hardy Boys and the Rover Boys. My brother Jack and I often read to each other when we were a little older. He loved outdoor adventure books - Jack London and James Oliver Curwood. He read the Kazan books over and over and over - sometimes to me. He wasn’t as enchanted by the books I loved - the Bronte sisters and Daphne DuMaurier - but together we went through my grandfather’s entire collection of Edgar Allen Poe and Jules Verne books.

Much as I love sinking into a good book, there is something very warm and wonderful about listening to someone read to you. The combination of a delicious story and a a human voice is very soothing. Perhaps that is why I am so fond of audio books.

I first discovered audio books some years back when facing a ten hour drive alone. A friend gave me Peter Matthiessen’s The Snow Leopard, unabridged, and that ten hour drive was pure enchantment. It was winter and light snow fell from Boston to Albany to Binghamton but I was in the Himalayas with Matthiessen and it was glorious.

Later when I took a job that involved an hour commute each way I made weekly trips to the library to load up on audio books. I loved them so much I would often go out and drive around at lunch time just to hear more. I remember driving home in horrible traffic one night while listening to Jean Hegland’s fabulous Into the Forest and being so mesmerized that, once I got back to Gloucester, I drove around for another fifteen minutes just to see if she would really be able to kill that wild boar.

Now I listen to audio books while I work. I do a lot of work that involves image processing and that is perfect for audio books. In the evening audio books keep me company while I cook or sew or knit.

I’ve come to make a distinction about audio books. Some books are just plain meant to be read - lovely, literary books rich with description and ideas are best enjoyed on the page, where you can put them down and think or reread or savor. When you don’t have that luxury it is best to chose audio books that are fast moving and not too complex or books that I have read before but want to re-experience.

I confess - I love Harry Potter. I’ve read all the books but the audio books, read by a genius named Jim Dale, are an entire new dimension in enjoyment. I have listened to those books over and over just to appreciate Dale’s artistry with creating characters with his voice alone. Some books are better when read by the author - Cold Mountain read in Charles Frazier’s soft, gentlemanly Carolina drawl - is a delight.

So this weekend I had an idea. I went online to our library and searched for unabridged audio books of some old favorites: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, My Cousin Rachel, Jamaica Inn. They were all there waiting to be checked out and enjoyed so I entered my request and am looking forward to picking them up. I didn’t look for any of the Kazan books though. I’d rather remember them read in Jack’s young voice.

Thanks for reading.